Water explosion-engine.



G. FUEHLER.

WATER EXPLOSION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.9. I9I6.

1,226,500. Patented May15,1917.

Fmg/g. 70

" v y v gwueuoz G! Fachlez' GUSTAV" FUEHLER, OF'VERDON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

WATER ExPLosIoN-ENGNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application led August 9, 1916. Serial No. 113,990.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAv FUEHLER,

a. citizen of the United States, residing at' Verdon,`in the countyof Brown, State of South Dakota, have invented certain new -and useful Improvements in Water Explosion-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionoi" the invention, such as will` en- .able others skilled inthe art to which it A second important object of the invention is to provide means whereby water is introduced into an engine cylinder and strikes afhot plate within the cylinder so ythat it bursts at once into steam and acts substantially as an ex losive engine. i

A third important o ject of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of engine of this vclass wherein the plate4 is kept hot by means of electricity.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter apparent the invention consists in general ,of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specificallyV claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, like charactersV of reference indicate like parts in the several views,iand:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through an` engine constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side eleva.- tion. of the heating element, and hot plate.

Fig. 3v is an enlarged detail section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.l

Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2. g y

In carrying out the-objects of this invention there is provided an engine having the usual base 1-0, shaft 11 and fly wheel 12.

Mounted on the lbase 10 is a cylinder-13 lwherein reciprocates a piston 14 connected to a rod 15, the latter being in turn conuected by means of a connecting rod 16 to the pin 17 of the fly wheel 12. The cylinder 13 is so arranged that the piston does y not approach closely to the back head 18, considerable space being left between this back head and the piston 14 when the piston is at its rearmost position.v

Located at each side of the cylinder in the space between the piston and the back head 18 is a bracket 19 and on these brackets 19 is supported a resistance coil carrying member 20 which is preferably of refractory insulating material such as porcelain or the like and is provided with a spiral 'groove 21 extending from one end to the other around the member 20. Seated in the bottom of the groove 21 is a resistance wire 22 which leads out of the cylinder through insulating bushings 23 ybeing connected by wires 24 to a battery 25 or other suitable source of electricity. Thus this resistance coil is heated by the current flowing through the wires '24. Resting on top of the member 20, is a. metallic plate 26 which forms the flash plate of the device. Extending through a smiling-box 27 in top of the cylinder is a water pipe 28 provided with a jet nozzle 29 which is located centrally over the plate 26. This water pipe 28 is controlled by a hand valve 30 and is also provided with a valve 31 which is controlled by the engine. feet the control of the valve 31 this valve is provided with an operating arm 32 which.

is connected by a link 33 to a rod 34 carried in one or more suitable guides 35 mounted on the cylinder. On the rod 34 is a collar 36 which is held in adjusted position by means of a set screw 37 and between this collar 36 and one of the guides 35 is a spring 38 which normally holds the rod in the position shown in Fig. 1, which position is just prior tothe admission of water. There is also provided on the rod 34 a collar 39 which is held in adjusted position by means of a set screw 40. On the piston rod 14 is fixed an arm 41, the arm being held in adjusted position on the rod by, a set screwv42. This arm 41 has in its outer end' a sleeve 43 through which the rod 34 slides. In the operation of the device the collar 39 and arm 41 are so adjusted on their respective rods that just prior to the eXtreme rear movement of the piston 14 the sleeve 43 will contact with the coll`ar'39 and push the rod 34 toward the rear vof the cylinder 13 so as to swing the lvalve arm 32 and open the valve 31 thus admitting a jet of water which strikes on the plate 26, and the latter being hot limmediately bursts into steam which drives and between this collar and one of the bearings in the base ,is a spring 51 which normally holds the rod in the position shown in Fig. 1 and consequently the valve 45 closed.

i 'Onthe rod 47 1s a roller 52- which bears against a cam 53 carried by the shaft 11 and this cam is 'so arranged that as the piston 14 moves back after the explosion stroke the cam will eiect movement of the rod 47 in such direction asto open the' valve 45 the cam being further arranged to permit closing of this valve just before the piston'14 reaches its rearmost position.

In the operation of he device as thewater is admitted' to the hot plate it bursts into Asteam and drives the piston forward. As

the piston moves forward the valve 3l is closed, the valve 45 remaining closed during this forward movement. As the piston begins to move backward under the inertia of the fly wheel .l2 the valve 45 opens andv al.-

lows the steam to exhaust through the pipe. 44. Upon'the piston approaching its rearmost position the valve 45 closes and the valve 31 is opened so that a repetition of the explosion and forward driving ofthe piston 14 occurs. p 'f It is' obvious that while a battery7 25 has been shown in the present instance'this battery may be replaced by any suitable source ofelectrical energy such as a dynamo or the like and the battery is merely to be taken as typical of any desired sourceof energy.

Itfwill also be obvious thatwhile the device has been shown as applied to a single cylinder engine it may be applied to the different cylinders of a multi-cylinder Vengine having the. cranks set at different angles, the arrangement in each individual cylinder being precisely that shown in the single cylinder with the diii'er'ent cams 53 set at the appropriate angles to effect the proper opening and closing of the valves 31 and 45 respectively.

The water suppliedfrom the pipe 28-.may be supplied under pressure or may flow from theordinary city mains or from a third tank as desired and the pipe 28 is to be `taken as typical of any preferred form of water supply which may be found convenient.

`There has thus been provided a ksimple and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified. i

It' is Vobvious that many minor changes maybe made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not there- -oi'e desired ,to confine the invention to the exact `form herein shown and described but itis wished to include 'all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A flash unit for steam engine cylinders of the flash type comprising a pair -ofsupports adapted to be secured opposite each other within a cylinder, a heating coil carrying memberadapted to :tit between said supports and be carried thereby, .said member having a spiral groove extending therearound fromy one end to the other and being formed oa sol refractory insulating substance, a resistance i wire wound on said member in said groove, and a flash plate supported on top .of said member out of contact with the resistance wire and injuxtaposition,therewith.

In testimony whereof, l aliix my signa` ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

y GUSTAV FUEHLER. Witnesses:

Gr. C. HEMMANN,

RUDOLPH HEMMANN. 

